![]() This assumes that your only emergency requirement is for voice and SMS. ![]() Hi Andreas and John, Re backup satcomms for emergency use it is well worth considering the Inmarsat Isatphone2. Though in this case I’ll have to buy both a Pactor modem and a 9575. ![]() The only other alternative I’m contemplating is getting the SSB (that is installed, but not connected or set up) working and having an Iridium 9575 as back-up. In order to get an idea of other people’s usage: when you connect, to get weather/emails, how long do you normally stay connected (if you have planned properly and are ready to send&receive when you connect)? If the only passagemaking was a trip across the Atlantic, then the Iridium 9575 stocked up with minutes, would be my choice, but because we’ll be using sat com as primary for downloading weather for many months, that option will be too expensive. We’ll be spending a lot of time passagemaking, and in areas with no other chance to get weather/e-mail than through sat com (or SSB). This is based on itinerary: circumnavigating South-America with a pit-stop in Antarctica, followed by the milk-run through the South Pacific. In spite of a lot of people seeming to favor handsets, I think I’m going to buy the GO! (with the external antenna) with an unlimited subscription. Summary, just not worth it to save a bit of trouble and the cost of the antenna. No I have not seen any comparison testing, but one look at the little flip up antenna on the GO!, in comparison to the size of the external antenna, tells me everything I need to know, and that is confirmed by Ulrich’s real world experience above.įurther if you mount the GO! on deck, particularly on an aluminium boat, you will have problems connecting your computer and phone to it when below. What you are buying the GO! for primarily is data, so you don’t want to spoil that for the marginal benefit of positioning. ![]() And no, the positioning won’t work in an aluminium boat (unless you put it close under a hatch) but that’s a secondary function and one of somewhat dubious value anyway ( see the first post). Second I would strongly recommend an external antenna and mounting the GO! below, as I have. They don’t actually sell or support sat phones or the GO! (When you buy from them, it’s just a portal to buying from Atlantic Radio Telephone/Satphone Store.) I covered a some of this in the first post including the fact that you can’t attach an external GPS antenna to the GO!įirst off, I would not put a lot of store in what Predict Wind tell you. I’m interested in hearing how others with aluminum boats have fared with the GO! installed inside and how reception have been for those using it without an external antenna? Of course a side by side comparison, with one using the antenna and one without, in the same conditions, would be very interesting to see how the reception varied. Using a Pelican case with a cable gland will be a lot easier and cheaper … and if the difference in reception quality is negligible… My original plan was to use an external antenna (mounted on the Ovni arch) and mount the GO! inside right by a porthole/side hatch, so that I would hopefully get some GPS reception. So in their experience an external antenna isn’t necessary, if you have the unit on deck. However the main reason for getting the external antenna is that most users have the main unit below decks.” “The external antenna is bigger, and by virtue of it size the reception is slightly better. I asked if them about reception quality without an antenna and they replied: If the unit is mounted on deck in the waterproof case you will not need the external antenna.” Rather than mount the main unit below decks, the only alternative practical solution is to install the Iridium GO! unit in a plastic case (eg ) with a cable gland for the power cable. In most boats this is not a big issue, as GPS signal will penetrate the deck/windows, however it will be an issue on an aluminium boat. “This is a limitation of the Iridium GO! – no external antenna for the GPS. PredictWind Support said something interesting, when I asked about using the external antenna, but mounting the GO! unit inside an aluminum boat: Great article and perfect timing, because I’m in the process of buying gear now.Ī few weeks ago I was in touch with PredictWind to buy a GO! directly from them, because they make it easy to bump the speed up and down.īased on what you’ve written here, I see that I can do the same independently, so we’ll see what I do.
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